Device having decorated transparencies



Jan. 11, 1938. 4-1, 2,105,008

DEVICE HAVING DECORATED THANSPARENCIES Filed Oct. 7, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. flf/V/PV /?/4 5/,

11 m 'w m AT TORNEY.

Jan. 11, 1938. H. M. RILEY 2,105,008

' DEVICE HAVING DECORATED TRANSPARENCIES Filed 001:. 7, 1955 2 Sheet s-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Haw/Pr fi/4 51 ATTORNEY. v

Patented Jan. 11, 1938 I I 1 Q UNITED "STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,105,008 DEVICE HAVING nacomrrnn TRANSPAR- ENCIES Henry M. Riley, Manhaslet, N. Y. Application October 7, 1935, Serial No. 43,913 5 Claims. (01. 3548) This invention relates to display devices, more may cut from the paper whatever designs he particularly to devices which may be used as wishes and may cement the seune at the desired ,toys, or in commercial work for advertising purplaces on the transparent sheets to give a preposes. determined or desired effect. When the design 5 It, has been found highly desirable to provide is to be changed, the paper may be removed from 5 games for children which require some ingenuity the transparent sheets and new designs placed and work on their part in order to develop the thereon. The background and the foreground creative instinct in them. There have been are made removable and may be changed simulplaced on the market a number of toys which taneously with the said designs. will require such work on the part of the chil- In' the accompanying drawings, constituting 10 dren and thusengage their attention. The presa part hereof, and in which like reference char- 7 cut invention is intended to provide a toy of acters indicate like parts, this character, having the advantage that the Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment child may continue to use the same over a conof'my invention siderable period of time by merely changing cer- Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of said 15 tain elements of the structure, whereby ,a conembodiment taken along the line 2--2 of Fig. 1; tinuous source of amusement is provided. Fig. 3 is a perspective view, looking from the The present invention also contemplates the rear, of the frame of the front portion thereof commercial use of the subject matter for advershowing the collapsible feature of the sides of tising and display purposes. A structure simthe frame; 20 ilar to that used as a toy is applicable in the Fig. 4 is a plan view, partly in horizontal crosssame manner to the production of displays which section, of the embodiment shown in Fig. l;

, may be changed at will, and thus constitute an and,

advertising unit which may be employed over Fig.5 isa fragmentary view of one of the transa long period of time with suitable variations as parent sheets, showing a design cemented 25 desired. thereon;

Primarily, my invention resides in the provision The front I of the frame has a central cut-out of a frame member or" pening of any suitable po t n p o di n p nin 3 e e n- On size. The frame has a front opening and bethe back thereof are stop members 4 and 5, near hind the same there is provided a plurality of the bottom, to act as means for holding the 30 relatively thin, transparent sheets spaced apart ot m of the f m a the base piece in P and substantially parallel to the opening. The There are provided sides 6, having cut-out porarea, of the sheets is suflicient to practically fill. tions 1 at the lower ends thereof so that when the opening. On the transparent sheets there is closed, as Shown n t e right in the p secured, usually by cementing or gluing, various mem e s 4 nd 5 w e Within Such Openings 3 designs such as advertising matter, colored pice by Permitting Storage of the device in tures, and the like, in such a manner that the flat and conveni n form- Th id 6 are provarious designs on the several transparent sheets vlded with hinges 8 whereby they are secured are visible through the opening. This gives a to the front I and they are provided with a plucombined effect in perspective and having subrality of vertical slots 9 and Ill for the intro 40 stantial depth, and it is particularly attractive duc on transparent Sa d S ots are because it allows the placing of various figures in enla ed. as s wn a H d to p o e r such positions as to appear off the ground, such cesses in which the tops of said sheets may be as, aircraft, birds, figures in action, and the like. e y e dlo g the outer edges of sides 6,

Thisallowsawide variety of changes in the comh r ar pr v angle irons red by 45 plete set-up which gives a large field of use screws I4 and so placed that slots l5 are formed thereof. between said angles and said sides. Grooves l6,

Usually, there is also provided a background as more particularly shown in Fig. 3, are also andabase piece which are decorated in any suit- D d at the e of Sides and ve as able manner to complete the setting/The demeans for holding the backdrop in place. 50 signs appearing on the transparent sheets may A back l1, having a reinforcing strip l8 along be provided in any suitable manner. If desired, the outer upper edge thereof, and having stop they may be painted on said sheets but, prefmember l9 along the inner edge at the bottom erably, I provide paper or the like having such thereof, is slipped into place in slots l5 and rests designs thereon, usually in colors. The user on pins H. The bottom 20 of the frame is in- 55 2 sorted and rests upon stop members, I and II. A base piece 2| of suitable design and usually of decorated cardboard, is placed on the bottom 20. A similar decorated backdrop 22 appropos .of the scene to be displayed, is slipped into the grooves IS in front of back l1.

Transparent sheets 23 and 24, having strips 2! and 26 secured thereto, are slipped into slots Ill and 9, respectively,-the strip 25 resting in recesses i2 and the strip 26 in recesses ii. The transparent sheets may be made of any desired material, such as cellulose acetate compositions, glass, regenerated cellulose, and various other known materials which are substantially transparent. A series of figures 21 may be provided figures may be painted or produced directly upon sheets 22 and 24.

Although I have described my invention setting forth 'a single embodiment thereof, the invention is not limited thereto and it is suscepti-- ble of wide variations within the scope of the present invention. The embodiment shown herein has been made of collapsible form so that whennot in use, or, when it is desired to trans- .port the same the various parts may be separated, the sides folded in, and the whole assembly stored or packed in a small space. While such more or less permanent after it is once set up.

The structure may be such that the transparent sheets may be inserted otherwise than as shown. For instance, openings may be provided in one or both of sides 8 and the sheets slipped into place laterally. Or, other means for insorting or holding the transparent sheets in place may be used. Various materials, may be used in the several parts of the device; the frame may be of metallic or non-metallic mate'- rials, such as aluminum, wood, molded compositions and the like, and thedecorative portions may be of paper, fabric, metal foil, combinations of different materials and in general of any substances. capable of giving the decorative effects. The decorative effects may be printed in quantity or may be made individually to special order, and they may be in black and white or in colors.

The decorative figures 21 are usually pasted on so as to be easily removable and the transparent sheets cleaned and re-used with a new set of figures, whereby the principal parts of the device may be re-used indefinitely and new efiects obtained. Considerable economies can thereby be eflfected as the cost of replacing the decorative characters is comparatively small and negligible in relation to the cost of the device.

Other effects may be combined with the device to enhance its attractiveness. This can be accomplished by introducing lighting arrangements either within the frame or outside thereof. In addition, mechanical means may be used to simulate motion, as means for circulating snow, for blowing air through the device to cause fluttering of flags, etc., and for. producing moving light effects suchas clouds, rain, etc.

It will be obvious that the number of transparent sheets may be varied at will, and, also, the manner in which said sheets are held in the frame. The use of slots is desirable only because of its convenience, and other means may readflexible, by suitable means as strips of various materials. If desired, perforations may be formed along the upper edges thereof, whereby they may be attached by the use of suitable hangers to rigid strips, such as 25 and 26. The base piece and background need not be of cardboard, but may be in other forms and, in fact, they may, for example, be embossed so that irregularities appear, as, for example, in the showing'of mountains, rivers, buildings, and the like. In the claims, the term substantially parallel is intended to include also such constructions in which the transparent sheets are at various angles to the plane of the opening, the important consideration being the visibility thereof through said opening. These and other changes in the mechanical construction and in the details of my inventionmiay be made within the spirit thereof, and my'invention is not to be limited except by the character of the claims appended hereto;

What I claim is:

-1. .An exhibitor for pictures and the like comprising a frame having an opening in the front thereof, a plurality of spaced apart transparent sheets independently movable and held in said frame in a position substantially parallel to said opening, said sheets being placed a substantial distance behind said opening,'the area of said sheets being sufllcient to practically fill said opening, said sheets adapted to bear interchangeable indicia, decorated material having designs thereon cemented to said transparent sheets and constituting said indicia, whereby all of said sheets are visible through said opening,

2. An exhibitor for pictures and the like comprising a frame having an opening in the front 1 thereof, a plurality of spaced apart transparent distance behind said opening, the area of said sheets being sufficient to practically fill said thereof, a plurality of spaced apart transparent sheets independently movable and held in said frame in a position substantially parallel to said opening, said sheets being placeda substantial distance behind said opening, the area of said sheets being suflicient to practically fill said opening, said sheets adapted to bear interchangeable indicia, decorated sheets of paper having designs thereon cemented to said'transparent sheets and constituting said indicia, whereby all of said sheets are visible through said opening.

4. An exhibitor for pictures and the like comprising a frame having an opening in the front thereof, a, plurality of spaced apart transparent sheets independently movable and held in said frame in a position substantially parallel to said opening, said sheets being placed a substantial distance behind said opening, the area of said sheets being sufl'lclent to practically fill said open- 7 ing, said sheets adapted to bear interchangeable indicia, decorated material having designs thereon cemented to said transparent sheets and constituting said indicia, whereby all of said sheets ,arevisible through said opening and a design constituting a background in the back 01' said frame.

5. An exhibitor for pictures and the like comprising a frame having an opening in the front thereof, a, plurality of spaced apart transparent sheets independently movable and held in said frame in a position substantially parallel to said 

